Debate Secures Worlds Schools Division Championship

Greenhill Debate competed in the Tournament of Champions in Lexington, Kentucky, on April 11-13. The Tournament of Champions brings students from across the country and the world to compete for a National Championship.

We are excited to announce that Greenhill Debate won the Worlds Schools division for the third year in a row!

Greenhill Platinum – the team of Benjy Beckman ’26, Marleigh Massoud ’28, Arhaan Iyer ’28, Vijay Naidu ’26, and Josephina Qiu ’26 – championed the tournament, winning a rematch of the TFA State Finals against an excellent team from Northland Christian School. In the final round, Greenhill debated as the opposition on the motion: This House supports states closing critical international trade routes during geopolitical conflicts.

Greenhill Diamond – the team of Tim Csallner ’28, Carys Diamond ’27, Benji Lachar ’27, Cindy Chou ’28, and Meenakshi Mandalapu ’28 – received third place after meeting Greenhill Platinum in the semifinals.

Tim Csallner ’28 was the second overall individual speaker in the Worlds Schools division, Meenakshi Mandalapu ’28 was fourth, and Josephina Qiu ’26 was fifth.

In Lincoln Douglas Debate, Sarah Koshy ’26 reached the quarterfinals and was the ninth-best individual speaker. Dylan Millimet ’26 and Vivek Thankavel ’27 reached the double octofinals in the division.

In Policy, Rory Liu ’26 was awarded the Julia Burke award. This honor is awarded to the policy debater who best demonstrates excellence in and passion for debate, a commitment to helping others, love and respect for the debate community, and dedication to maintaining friendships despite the pressures of competition. The award is determined by a community vote from fellow policy debaters and coaches. This is the first time a Greenhill student has been selected for this prestigious award.

Iliyan Ali ’26 was recognized as the eighth best individual policy speaker and Rory Liu ’26 placed 17th.

This tournament marked the conclusion of outstanding debate careers for seniors Dhiya Hemchand ’26, Michael Ahn ’26, Aaron Kuang ’26, and Soyam Kelifa ’26, and a TOC debut for competitors Eric Xing ’28, Mahedhar Sunkara ’27, and Akash Bose ’27.

Alumnae Anna Myers ’19, Sophia Li ’24, and Gautam Chamarthy ’25, all attended and helped the team in our pursuit of excellence.

Congratulations to all the competitors!